Chapter 14 - The Killen Family

Chapter 14 leads to Francis Camilla Hill.  She married James Ricks Carson, who was not an ancestor of the present author.  Therefore, Chapter 14 is a side trip, not part of the main story of this book.

The information about James H. Killen and the banking business serves to emphasize the fact that West Central Georgia was still newly-settled territory relatively late in the history of the eastern United States.

Origins in Ireland, and an Elopement

William Killen  Sr . was born in Dublin, Ireland, September 4, 1750.  Sometime during the 1750’s, perhaps as late as 1760, he came with his parents (probably John Killen  and Harriet -----)  to Baltimore, MD.  William Killen  eloped with a Welsh girl named Jane Miller  (daughter of Samuel Miller  and Mary Maffitt ) on August 22, 1781 in Cecil County, Maryland.  Their parents disapproved of the marriage because he was Irish and she was Welsh.  Their first four children were born in Baltimore County, Maryland.  About 1789, the Killen family moved to that part of Cumberland County, North Carolina which is now in Harnett County, and the last seven children were born there.  The first daughter was named Harriet.  She died, so William Killen  and Jane Miller  named their next daughter Harriet.  William Killen  was an educated man who taught school and farmed.  William Killen  died in 1820.  Jane Miller then  moved in with her daughter, Harriet Killen , and they moved to Houston County, Georgia, about 1830.  Jane Miller died in Perry, Georgia, in 1832.

Children of William Killen and Jane Miller were:

• Robert Killen, born December 6, 1782, married Sophronia -----, raised his family in Darlington, South Carolina.
• Samuel Killen, born September 8 (or April 24), 1783.
• Fannie Killen, born December 6 (or September 8), 1785, died before 1790.
• John Killen (See below)
• William Killen,  Jr ., born April 6, 1790, lived in Cumberland County, North Carolina.
• Thomas Killen, born March 8, 1793, died before 1810
• James H. Killen (See below)
• Harriet Killen, born November 29, 1798, died at an early age before 1804.
• George Killen, born November 19, 1800, died before 1820.
• B. J. McNeal (McNiel) Killen, born October 15, 1802.
• Harriet C. “Hattie” Killen (See below)

Now, we’ll discuss Harriet, John, and James Killen in more detail – not in their correct birth order.  We’ll discuss James H. Killen last, because he and his descendants are most important to the Carson family.

Harriet C. Killen , born December 8, 1804, daughter of William Killen  and Jane Miller , married a Baptist preacher, Rev. Lewis Peacock , in Johnstone County, North Carolina, where they were the parents of D. W. K. Peacock .  Rev. Lewis Peacock , Harriet Killen , and their son D. W. K. Peacock  were in Perry, Georgia, by 1831.  The Peacocks died or moved away from Perry about 1843.  D. W. K. Peacock  was raised by an uncle in Dooley County, Georgia.  The uncle also had a son named David, about the same age.  D. W. K. Peacock  raised his family in Cartersville, Georgia.

The Killens Come to Georgia

After William Killen  died about 1820, his sons John Killen  (a contractor) and James H. Killen  took their inheritance and went to Darlington, South Carolina, where John intended to buy land.  However, they went on to Perry, Georgia, where Creek Indian land was open for sale, and James H. Killen  filed for land there.   James H. Killen  stayed in Perry where he was influential in the early development of Perry, Georgia, while John Killen  returned to Darlington, South Carolina.

John Bell Newton Killen , born February 29, 1788, son of William Killen  and Jane Miller , left his brother James in Perry, Georgia, and returned to Darlington, South Carolina where he bought land.  While living in Darlington, he volunteered for the War of 1812.  John Killen  married first Jane Jolly , who died during the birth of twins.  The twins also died.  On February 28, 1822, John Killen  married second Louisa Parrott, daughter of Jacob  Parrott and Penelope ,  perhaps Penelope House, in Darlington.  They had six children before Louisa Parrott  died in 1832, soon after the birth of their last child, Julia.

John Bell Newton Killen – Active in Politics

John Bell Newton Killen  sold his land in Darlington, South Carolina, and moved his young family to Perry, Georgia, where he became a large landowner and active in local politics.  He was a delegate to the 1835 State Convention of the Union Democratic Republican Party, and in 1841, he was Houston County’s State Representative.  He married third Margaret Ann Shine (March 17, 1809 – April 28, 1888).  Lewis Peacock  performed the ceremony on July 23, 1835 .  John Killen ’s little girl, Julia Charlotte Killen , died about 1835. John Bell Newton Killen died June 6, 1871, in Perry, Georgia, and Margaret Shine died April 28, 1888.  Both are buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Perry, Georgia, but the tombstones do not have inscriptions.

John Bell Newton Killen  and Margaret Shine  had eleven children.  Five of the children died young, including Robert Shine Killen  (age 16) and Alexander Lafayette Killen  (age 19), who both died in the War between the States.  The children of John Killen  and Margaret Shine  who lived to raise families were:

• William Francis Killen (1836-1894)
• Thomas Milton Killen
• George Washington Killen
• Jane Pernice Killen
• Margaret Ann Killen .
• Jane Pernice Killen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Houston Female College in 1854. 
• Children of John Bell Newton Killen and Louisa Parrott were:
• Martha Emily Killen , (October 12, 1824 – October 14, 1832).
• Samuel Doddridge Killen (February 16, 1823 – April 5, 1880, married Sophia Baskin, was a prisoner of war while serving in the Confederate Army)
• John Sidney Killen (February 5, 1826 – December 28, 1903, married Sarah Ann Monzingo)
• Theodore Newton Killen
• James Madison Killen (December 28, 1829-October 7, 1907, married Alva Cinda Ann Jones, suffered from measles while in the Confederate Army)
• Julia Charlotte Killen , (May 9, 1832 – July 15, 1938).

Killens in Louisisna

In 1846, John Sidney Killen, son of John Bell Newton Killen and Louisa Parrott,  travelled with the Monzingo family to Murden (or Minden), Claiborne (now Webster) Parish, Louisiana.  He married Sarah Ann Monzingo in Claiborne Parish, where they settled and raised their family. They  had nine sons who fought in the War between the States.  Two were killed, and others were captured or wounded.    

James Madison Killen  was born December 28, 1829.  In 1852, James Madison Killen  joined his brother in Claiborne Parish, where he bought land.  He married Ava Clinda Ann Jones near Minden on July 17, 1853.  Several children were born to James Madison Killen  in Claiborne Parish.

Both John Sidney Killen  and James Madison Killen  went to the War between the States, and afterwards, James Madison Killen  moved his family to Texas, where he died On October 7, 1907.

Theodore Newton Killen, son of John Bell Newton Killen and Louisa Parrott, was born November 11, 1827, in Darlington District, South Carolina.  He went to New York to learn to be a watchmaker, but soon returned home, where he worked for some time as a mechanic.  He went to Louisiana for two years with his brother John, but returned to Houston County,Georgia, where he married Frances D. Ellison  on February 22, 1853.  He served the Confederacy working in a munitions factory in Macon, and also served with the Georgia Militia defending the railroad.  He moved to Terrell County, Georgia, where he had a lumber mill and later a coffin factory.  He also served on the Board of Education.  He also built furniture.  He built his home north of Bronwood without using nails. Theodore Newton Killen and Frances D. Ellison had seven children.  Frances D. Ellison died on September 28, 1887, and is buried behind the family home.  On January 22, 1888, Theodore Newton Killen married Frances’ widowed sister, Caroline V. Ellison  Alexander.  Theodore Newton Killen died August 10, 1902, in Bronwood, and is buried in the family plot near the house.

James H. Killen , son of William Killen  Sr . and Jane Miller , was born in Cumberland County, North Carolina, April 7 or December 4, 1796.  He seems to have married twice.  His first wife was probably Mary Ann H----, whom he married January 20, 1824.  About 1826 in Perry, Georgia, he married second Rebecca M. Gilbert , who was born November 3 or March 11, 1810.  James H. Killen was one of the first Commissioners of the town of Perry, named on the town’s 1824 charter.  He grew wealthy.  He owned much land, and in the absence of banks, he often lent money at interest rates from 8 to 30 percent.  Nathan Bryan (See Chapter 7), who lived near Marshallville, Georgia at the same time, also lent money to his neighbors. James H. Killen died April 13, 1836.

It was quite common for private individuals to lend money at high interest rates. Interest rates were high because anyone who owned land, stock, and farm implements at that time in that section of Georgia could make a lot of money.  People were willing to pay high interest rates so they could obtain land, stock, and equipment.  The first bank in Houston County was the Fort Valley Loan and Trust Company of Fort Valley, chartered in 1868.

James H. Killen and Rebecca M. Gilbert had four children, all raised in Perry, Georgia.  They were:   

• Martha Ann Killen
• William Edmond (or Edman) Killen
• Sarah Catherine Killen
• Camilla Frances Killen .  (More of Camilla Frances Killen  later)

Ancestors of Senator Sam Nunn

Martha Ann Killen , above, daughter of James H. Killen  and Rebecca M. Gilbert , married Rev. Samuel H. J. Sistrunk .  Among their children was Frances Rebecca Sistrunk , who married George Chappel Nunn , and among their children was Samuel Augustus Nunn , whose son, Samuel Augustus Nunn  Jr., became a United States Senator from Georgia.

Camilla Frances Killen , daughter of James H. Killen  and Rebecca M. Gilbert , was born February 3 (or March 2), 1835, in Houston County, Georgia.  On Thursday, April 15, 1852, she married John Hamlin King , born January 5 (or May 11), 1826, in Clarendon District, SC.  Reverend J. Rufus Felder  performed the ceremony. John Hamlin King  died October 12, 1878, and Camilla Frances Killen  died January 1, 1913.  

John Ragin King and his Four Sons

John R. King (father of John Hamlin King, above) was born January 15, 1804. John Ragin King’s mother was Sarah Ragin, his uncle was Charles C. Ragin, and their parents were John H. Ragin  and Sarah Felder .  John H. Ragin was born about 1756 in Clarendon, SC, the son of William Ragin  and his wife Lucey.  William Ragin was born in Ireland about 1724, and died in Clarendon, SC, on January 15, 1785. 

John R. King came to Perry, Georgia, from Sumter County, South Carolina, in 1851.  He owned 118 slaves in Houston County, Georgia, in 1860, and was a prosperous plantation owner.  He married twice, first to Ann A----- (January 3, 1807 – May 31, 1839), and second to  Louise Carline Marion .  Louise Carline Marion was the daughter of Francis Marion Dwight  (August 24, 1777-April 24, 1833) and Harriet Kirk (1782-April 8, 1850) .  Francis Marion Dwight was the adopted son of General Francis Marion , the “Swamp Fox”, whose natural children were all girls.  John R. King died December 13, 1871). 

Francis Marion Dwight, above, was a student at the University of Pennsylvania.  He rushed home when he learned that his stepfather was dying.   He was named as heir of General Francis Marion on the condition that he drop the name “Dwight”, which he did.  He married first Charlotte Kirk  (1782-December 15, 1799), but they had no children.  After her death, he married her sister, Harriet.   Francis and Harriet lived at Pond Bluff Plantation, which General Francis Marion had purchased from John Matthews  in 1773.   

All four sons of John R. King joined the Confederate army. 

Francis Marion King , son of John R. King, joined the Southern Rights Guard in 1861, and was a 2^nd corporal.  When the Southern Rights Guard disbanded in 1862, Francis Marion King enlisted as a private in Company B, 2^nd Regiment, South Carolina Artillery, which occupied a coastal battery position in Charleston.  He was wounded in the hip at the Battle of Seccessionville in 1865, and surrendered at Greensboro, NC, at the end of the war.

Sylvesters Caper King , son of John R. King, was 3^rd sergeant of the Southern Rights Guard during its year of service.  In March, 1862, he joined the Southern Rights Battery, Company A, 14^th Battalion, Georgia Light Artillery.  He later transferred to Company G, and then to Company B, which surrendered at Greensboro, NC, at the end of the war.  After the war, he was killed in a railroad accident.

Alfred Augustus King , son of John R. King, was born October 11, 1831.  He also enlisted in the Southern Rights Guards and then the Southern Rights Battery.  He surrendered in Greensboro, NC, at the end of the war.  Hed died November 28, 1903, and lies buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Perry, Georgia.

John Hamlin King  (above) was the son of John Ragin King.  He served in Company G, 8^th Regiment, Confederate States Army.  As stated above, he married Camilla Francis Killen , and died December 10, 1878, and was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Perry, Georgia.

• Johnnie King
• Mary Louisa King
• Annie Rebecca King
• Mattie Killen King
• John Hamblin King,  Jr.
• Annie Lou King
• William Edmond King
• Frances Gilbert King
• Augusta King
• John Henry King
• Lucy Twelve King  

Lucy Twelve King , daughter of Camilla Frances Killen  and John Hamblin King , was born in Houston County, Georgia, November 14, 1872.  She married first Edwin B. Waters on November 18, 1896 , and their son was Henry Waters  who was born February 19, 1901. 

Henry Waters, son of Lucy Twelve King and Edwin B. Waters, married Elizabeth Brogden , but had no children, and died August 22, 1947.

Edwin B. Waters died August 13, 1902.  On March 13, 1907, Lucy Twelve King  married second James Green Hill , born November 7, 1866, and died June 13, 1927.  Their children were James Green Hill  Jr., who was born August 23, 1915 at Reynolds, Georgia, and died while yet an infant, and Frances Camilla Hill .

James Green Hill, above, married first Alice O. McDaniel  (1869-1895), second Temple “Tempie” McDaniel (1872-1906), and third Lucy Twelve King,  widow of Edwin B. Waters .  In 1910, his family included Lucy, his wife; Bernice , age 12; Allilee , age 10, Edwin , Age 7; and Camilla, age 1.  Bernice was the son of James Green Hill  and his second wife, Temple “Tempie” McDaniel.  Elbert Hill (April 12, 1838 – February 18, 1905) , another son of James Green Hill and Temple “Tempie” McDaniel, was living at the home of James’ father, Slaughter Hill .

James Green Hill’ parents were Slaughter Hill  (Born in Macon County, Georgia, October 10, 1840, died in 1916) and Missouri Anice Moulton  (1846-1900).  Slaughter Hill could not read and write.  He served the Confederacy as a private in Company F, 27^th Regiment of Georgia Volunteers, and was wounded on September 17, 1862, at the Battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland (Antietam), in the right arm, right side, back (which caused broken ribs), both legs, and left hand. After the war, Slaughter Hill was sheriff of Taylor County, Georgia, 1868-1873.  He was also a farmer, and raised hogs among other things.  Slaughter Hill and Missouri Annice Moulton had two children, Mandy Frances Hill  and James Green Hill.  After the death of Missouri Alice Moulton, Slaughter Hill married on September 30, 1900, Martha L. “Mattie” Theus  (1860 – 1952).

Slaughter Hill had a brother, Hamilton H. Hill, who was born in Macon County, Georgia, on December 13, 1842.  He served the Confederacy as a private in Company C, 59^th Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry.  He was wounded in the right arm and captured at Green Castle, Pennsylvania, on July 5, 1863, and exchanged at City Point, Virginia, on August 20^th of the same year.  He surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia, on April 9, 1865.    

Slaughter Hill’s parents were Archibald Hill  (1803-1882) and Samantha “Mantha” Barfield , sometimes called “Martha” by mistake.  They came to Georgia from Robeson County, North Carolina, about 1829.  Archibald Hill served as a Road Commissioner in Houston County, GA, in 1855. 

Frances Camilla Hill

Frances Camilla Hill  was born September 4, 1909 (or 1908), daughter of James Green Hill  and Lucy Twelve King .  She attended the Coleman Institute in Reynolds, GA, held a bachelor’s degree from from Georgia State College for Women and a master’s degree from Mercer University.  She married James Ricks Carson (See Chapter 1) on June 13, 1929.  She was a school teacher in Taylor and Peach Counties, Georgia.  She was a member of Reynolds United Methodist Church, the Reynolds Women’s Club, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.  Frances Camilla Hill  died August 26, 1987 at her home in Reynolds, Georgia, and lies buried in the Hillcrest Cemetery, Reynolds, Georgia.

References: 21, 199, 201, 203, 213, 264, 295, 307, 308, 403

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